Educational Science

January's full 'Wolf Moon' rises Thursday. Here's how to see it at its best.

This month's full moon, known as the Wolf Moon, will be at its fullest on Thursday, Jan. 25 and will shine in the constellation Cancer. The moon will also appear bright and full on Wednesday (Jan. 24) and Friday (Jan. 26). According to Timeanddate.com, the Wolf Moon gets its name,...

100-year-long 'megastorms' on Saturn are creating radio signals that scientists can't fully explain

Imagine a thunderstorm so massive that its dark outline wrapped around the entire planet. Such terrifying megastorms are common on Saturn. Also called Great White Spots, they erupt once every 20 or 30 years in the planet's northern hemisphere and rage nonstop for months. Astronomers have spotted six of these...

For just the second time ever, astronomers have discovered multiple Tatooine worlds, or exoplanets orbiting a pair of stars, in the same star system. The discovery is further proof that these Star Wars-like planets are more common than scientists previously thought. Tatooine worlds, or circumbinary planets, are exoplanets that exist...

Japan's 'Moon Sniper' lands on lunar surface, but it may be dead within hours

Japan successfully became the fifth nation to land on the moon on Friday (Jan. 19), when the country's robotic Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM) successfully descended to the lunar surface at 10:20 a.m. EST (or 12:20 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20 in Japan). The craft seems to have...

What is the moon phase today?

The moon's phases are one of the most familiar sights in the night sky. Every month, we see our lone satellite wax and wane through a series of shapes, taking it from an unmissable full moon down to a tiny sliver of a crescent, briefly disappearing from view entirely and...

Humans are changing the moon's surface so much it's entered a new geological era, scientists say

A new geological epoch has begun on the moon, which reflects the fact that humans are now the biggest influence on the lunar surface, a group of scientists suggest. The researchers named the moon's new epoch the Lunar Anthropocene. Cultural processes are starting to outstrip the natural background of geological...

Why Venus is now a slim crescent and will disappear from the evening sky this weekend

You may have noticed in recent weeks that the planet Venus has slipped from the post-sunset sky, slimming into a crescent shape as it drops from view. Its reign as the bright Evening Star in 2023 is over, as a relatively rare celestial phenomenon takes shape. On Aug. 13, Venus...

Winter solstice 2023: How to see Jupiter dance with the moon on the longest night of the year

Winter is officially coming to the Northern Hemisphere — and, with it, the longest night of the year. This year, that also means a special skywatching opportunity is at hand, with Jupiter shining brightly next to a nearly-full moon. The winter solstice, which will occur at 10:28 p.m. EST on...

Cold Moon 2023: The final full moon of the year rises this Christmas

The final full moon of 2023 — and the first full moon of winter — will rise this Christmas when the Cold Moon ascends. Officially full at 7:34 p.m. EST on Tuesday (Dec. 26), the full moon will be best seen rising in the east later that day at the...

Full moons of 2024: Names, dates and everything you need to know

In 2024, you'll have the chance to see 12 full moons, including two supermoons, a blue moon and two lunar eclipses. Although experienced moon gazers know that the night of the full moon is not the best for observing the lunar surface (even with a good pair of binoculars), the...